Letting Go
by yukikoneko1990
Summary: "Where is Stiles?" he asked in a low, leveled tone and the Sheriff's eyes filled with pain. "He's not – he's not with us anymore."
1. Wake Up

**This story was inspired by the song 'Let me go' by Avril Lavigne. I claim no rights to the song, nor do I earn money by including parts of it in this story.**

**I hope you'll enjoy the story!**

**Please, leave a review if you want more!**

* * *

**Summary: **Derek and Cora left Beacon Hills to finally leave all the pain behind. They thought they would never look back, but Derek can't forget Beacon Hills. More specifically he can't forget one young man that somehow, without him noticing became more important to him than anything has ever been.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Derek finished putting his bags in the back of his car before he looked at his sister and smiled. She rolled her eyes although her lips were twitching in a smile she tried so hard to suppress. Derek chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "You can stay here, you know? They'll accept you."

"I know, Cora." He murmured as he nuzzled his nose into her hair and she hugged him back tightly. "But my place isn't here. I belong in Beacon Hills. You know that just as well as I do." They parted and she nodded with her head bowed and eyes focused on anything but her big brother. Derek sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'll forget about you. I'll come to visit as often as possible. And you can come to Beacon Hills wherever you want to see me." Cora looked at him from under her fringe and Derek raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay." She gruffed and Derek snorted. "But you have to promise to call me if the geek squad gives you any trouble. I'll come back and kick their asses." Derek chuckled and nodded.

"I promise to call the moment I arrive." She nodded and Derek looked at the people waiting for Cora on the porch of their Pack House. Derek nodded at them, his eyes showing both a clear warning and loads of gratefulness before he moved for the front seat of his Toyota. Cora followed after him and Derek rolled down the window after he took a seat and buckled his seatbelt. "Be careful, alright?" Cora rolled her eyes and leaned through the window to nuzzle her nose against her brother's.

"You too, buck-teeth." she murmured and he huffed at the old nickname. "Stay safe." Derek nodded and closed the window as he started the car. He looked out the rearview mirror as he drove out of the yard and a small smile tugged on his lips when he saw the Alpha of the Pack Cora stayed with before walk over to her and place his arm protectively around her shoulders.

He knew she would be safe there.

He knew she had nothing waiting for her in Beacon Hills.

He took a deep breath as he drove off the country road and onto the highway. He changed gears, relaxed in his seat and made his way back to Beacon Hills.

He knew he made the right choice.

He thought he could leave it all behind. He thought he could move on and forget all about Beacon Hills. A lot of bad memories were connected to that town; Paige, Kate, Jennifer, the fire that took his family.

But he couldn't.

He belonged in Beacon Hills.

He belonged to a pair of whiskey colored eyes that haunted his dreams ever since he left.

* * *

_The echoes are gone in the hall, __  
__but I still remember the pain of December._

* * *

When he decided to leave Beacon Hills with Cora, he thought he would finally be able to move on. He thought he could put everything behind.

But even though the weight that was resting on his back lessened, even though he finally managed to make peace with almost every mistake he made, he simply couldn't find rest. His dreams were haunted by whiskey colored eyes. When he was awake he couldn't stop thinking about full, cupid bow lips. When he was alone, taking a run in the forest surrounding the House of the Pack that took Cora in years ago, he often found himself stopping in his tracks, because often he thought he heard a voice calling him; a familiar voice he never thought he would miss.

At first he thought he was dreaming about Jennifer. She had similar eyes; similar lips. She had a similar way of dealing with stress; she talked about everything and nothing just to alleviate the tense atmosphere. But as time passed and his dreams became more vivid, he realized he wasn't dreaming about her. The Emissary of the Pack he and Cora were staying with said it was because the Magic of the Darach was slowly wearing off.

That erased any and all feelings he might have still had for the woman, only to sprout another bout of questions and doubts.

The Emissary, Dante, told him that he could see the effect Jennifer had on him. He said that she couldn't have put him under such a spell if such feelings didn't already exist.

It took Derek a week to wrap his mind around that. It took him a whole week of analyzing and thinking about Dante's words.

Each night his dreams became more and more realistic.

Each night his dreams became more and more personal.

He would wake up covered in sweat and heaving, with his whole body shivering.

He could think about nothing but him. He started hearing his voice in his dreams.

'Wake up.' he was telling him. 'Wake up.'

Derek spent days thinking about what it could mean.

'Wake up.'

Some 10 days after his first talk with Dante, Derek woke up from a terrifying nightmare. It was the first time he dreamt more than just his eyes, his lips or his long-fingered, elegant hands. He saw him sitting alone in complete darkness.

His eyes were staring at something Derek couldn't see. He was sitting on his legs with his hands resting calmly on his knees. Derek tried calling for him. He knelt in front of him trying to make him look at him, but he kept on staring calmly at something beyond Derek.

Next time he dreamt it again, but this time he was looking directly at Derek. The former Alpha felt relief, until he raised his hands and started doing a line of strange symbols Derek couldn't understand.

That same dream repeated itself several nights in a row, and Derek decided to research sign language. He was beating himself over and over again for not remembering to do that sooner. When he failed to find an answer to his problem (he was never good at research; that's why he had _him_) he went to Dante. It took them a while to figure it out, but once they did for the first time since he and Cora left Beacon Hills, Derek felt the actual need to go back.

Cora was against it.

She was against it no matter how many times Derek told her about the dreams and the bad feeling he started getting.

Only when he and Cora went for a run on the last Full Moon and fell asleep in the forest did she start doubting her words. When Derek woke up smothering a scream, when she realized just how terrified he was, she finally understood him.

She finally understood why, after everything that happened to him, after all the suffering and pain he went through in Beacon Hills, he still had the need to go back.

Despite the pain of losing Paige, despite the horrors of losing everything because of Kate, despite Jennifer and her schemes, Derek belonged in Beacon Hills, and there was nothing that would stop him from going back.

He finally understood.

He finally let go of everything bad that happened to him.

He was finally free.

* * *

_I'm breaking free from these memories; __  
__gotta let it go – just let it go.__  
__I've said goodbye, __  
__set it all on fire.__  
__Gotta let it go – just let it go._

* * *

Derek woke up with a start and quickly took a seat. He looked around while he caught his breath, and let go of a sigh when his brain caught up with him being awake. He got out of the motel bed and quickly got ready. He was another day's drive away from Beacon Hills.

As he pulled his jacket on, ready to continue on his way, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and frowned when the memories of his dreams flashed through his mind.

'_When the door closes, don't open it.'_

He remembered those elegant hands repeating the same motions over and over again, his whiskey colored eyes dull and lifeless. Derek's breath caught in his throat every time he'd remember them. Every time he would remember those eyes alight with life and excitement, alive with intelligence and curiosity, his guts would fill with lead, because in his dreams those amazing eyes were dead. They were empty and dull.

He got into his car after he threw his duffle bag onto the back seat and started the engine. Once he was on the road again, he took a deep calming breath and focused on the road.

But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't erase the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

And that made him drive that much faster.

* * *

He closed the door of his car and dug his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket before he turned around and looked at the small, suburban house; the home of the new Beacon Hills Alpha. He took a deep breath and finally took a step towards it.

He didn't know what to expect. Scott was the only one who saw him before he left and they parted in a friendly way. Never the less, Derek didn't and couldn't know how Scott would react to him being back in town. He climber the porch and shivered when he caught a whiff of a strange new scent. It wasn't uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, it was quite inviting, and a small, proud smile tugged on Derek's lips.

It was the smell of a Pack.

He was about to ring the bell when the door opened wide and he came face to face with Scott, whose eyes were wide and lips slightly open in surprise.

"H-…"

"Derek?" Scott breathed out before Derek could properly greet him, and the former Alpha found himself with an armful of Scott. Not really knowing how to react, Derek returned the hug, although his eyebrows were practically touching the line of his hair in surprise and confusion.

"I know we didn't part as enemies, but this isn't the greeting I thought I would receive." Derek drawled and Scott laughed breathlessly as he let go of Derek and took a step back.

"I caught your scent when you approached the door. Boy; am I glad to see you." Derek's eyebrows went higher if possible, only to lower in a worried frown when he saw that while Scott _was_ happy to see him, there was desperation and worry in his eyes.

"Scott, what's going on?" Derek asked and Scott took a deep wavering breath.

"Why don't you come in; everyone's already here." Derek's frown deepened as Scott let him into his house and led him into the living room. Derek stopped in his tracks and his eyebrows rose again when he found Lydia, Aiden, Ethan, Danny, Allison, Isaac, Mrs. McCall and Sheriff Stilinski in there, only to frown again when he realized who was missing. In that moment Scott rounded him and stopped right in front of him.

"Scott, where is Stiles?" Derek asked in a dark tone and his frown deepened when everyone in the room bowed their heads. He looked at Scott and the Alpha bowed his head to avoid Derek's inquisitive eyes. "Scott, what happened with Stiles?" Derek pressed out through his teeth and Scott swallowed with difficulties.

"You were gone for three months-…"

"Scott!" Derek interrupted the young Alpha sharply and Scott recoiled. "What? Happened?" the former Alpha pressed out through his teeth, and Scott looked at Sheriff Stilinski.

The Sheriff stood up slowly and Derek noticed the older man changed. He lost weight, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were pulled into a thin, tortured line. Derek swallowed difficultly as the feeling of dread passed over him. Mrs. McCall stood up as well and placed her hand on the Sheriff's shoulder.

Sick of the silence, and with the feeling of dread ever growing, Derek walked around Scott and over to the Sheriff. He stopped in front of the older man and looked straight in his eyes.

"Where is Stiles?" he asked in a low, leveled tone and the Sheriff's eyes filled with pain.

"He's not – he's not with us anymore." He spoke in a broken tone and Derek's breath caught in his throat.

"What?" he breathed out and the Sheriff looked at him with tears in his eyes.

"Derek-…"

"Why don't you take a seat, Derek; we'll explain everything to you." Mrs. McCall interrupted the Sheriff. Her voice was quiet and broken and Derek looked at everyone in the room. They were all sad and almost terrified. Derek felt as though a steel, clawed hand was gripping his heart and he looked at Scott again.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

_You came back to find I was gone; __  
__and that place is empty, like the hole that was left in me._

* * *

"It started some two weeks after you and Cora left." Scott spoke in a small voice once Derek took a seat. "Stiles started acting strange. He would space out more often than before. He didn't eat regularly. He had problems sleeping." Scott took a deep breath and shook his head. "We all tried to talk with him, but he was constantly telling us that he was alright; he kept telling us that there was nothing wrong with him. We tried everything. We were constantly watching over him from afar. Isaac, Aiden, Ethan and I followed him wherever he went. John, mom, Danny, Allison and Lydia spent as much time with him as possible, but we could find the reason behind him acting strange. He lost a lot of weight. He stopped sleeping altogether." Scott's voice broke and he swallowed difficultly. "We tried everything, but – but nothing worked."

"We went to Deaton." Allison spoke up when Scott bowed his head, unable to speak. "We spoke to him and Marin, but they could do nothing either." Derek frowned at her. "Stiles started to disappear. He would go missing for two to three days, and he'd come back looking worse for wear. We went looking for him, but we couldn't find him. We were just happy he came back every time, and then – then a little over a month ago, he – he-…"

"He didn't come back." John spoke in a broken, raspy voice and Derek looked at him. "What Scott and Allison didn't tell you is that Stiles started locking his room up two months ago. I – I thought he just wanted some privacy. I tried to enter several times, especially when he started to go missing for several days in a row. When he – when he didn't come back the fifth time it happened, I brought Deaton to our house and he managed to break into the room. Stiles – Stiles sealed the door and window with mountain ash and Wolfsbane. What we found there – what we saw in his room, it – it brought up more questions."

"I'll be right back."Scott murmured and John nodded. Scott left the living room and came back seconds later with a black map in his hands. Derek accepted it and opened it, only to have a shiver run down his spine. There were papers of different sizes in the map, and two words repeated themselves over and over and over again.

_Wake up._

_Wake up._

_Wake up._

_Wake up._

Those two words were written in thousands of different ways, in every-which direction. His breathing grew quicker and heavier with every leaf he turned. Drawings of the Nemeton came into the mix, and Derek almost dropped the map when he stopped on the last leaf.

One sentence was written in the middle of the paper.

_When the door closes, don't open it._

Derek felt something bitter gather in his throat. His lungs filled with lead and his sight blurred as he gazed upon that sentence.

"What is this?" he pressed out through his teeth and looked first at Scott and then at the Sheriff. The two exchanged a glance before they looked at Derek and the Sheriff swallowed difficultly.

"We thought you could tell us." He spoke lowly and Derek frowned.

"Why?" he bit out and Scott stood up again. He took a piece of wrinkled paper out of his pocket and offered it to Derek.

"Because of this." He said as Derek straightened the paper. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened.

_Find Derek._

"We've been trying to locate you for the past month." The Sheriff spoke up and Derek looked at him. "We heard nothing but rumors. We couldn't pin down your location." Derek looked at the piece of paper again as he tried to calm his quickly beating heart.

"Where-…" his voice broke and he swallowed before he tried again. "Where is he?" he looked up at everyone, and felt a spark of anger in his heart when they exchanged worried glances. "Did you even manage to catch his scent? Do you have _any_ idea where he could have gone?"

"We found him five days after he disappeared for the fifth time." Aiden said and Derek frowned before he looked at the Sheriff who nodded at him.

"He had that piece of paper in his hand when we found him." He confirmed and Derek looked at it again.

"Where is he?" he growled and looked at Scott, his eyes flashing blue for a second.

"He's in a coma." The former Alpha looked at the Sheriff who was looking at him with pain and sorrow in his eyes.

"We've been trying to find you for the past month. If we don't find a way to wake him up he'll – he'll die." The Sheriff's voice broke and Derek felt like someone threw a bucket of ice cold water into his face.

"After he disappeared for the fifth time, and after he didn't come back for three days, we decided to try to find him again." Scott said and looked at the other Werewolves in the room. "Since we couldn't find him first four times, we didn't hope we would find him this time, but we did."

"Where?" the former Alpha bit out harshly, and Scott shivered because of the threatening undertone in his voice.

"We found him on the Nemeton." Isaac spoke up when Scott couldn't. "He was unconscious and soaked to the bone even though rain didn't fall for days, and he was clutching that piece of paper in his hand." Derek looked at the note. The two words written on it were like knives that were stabbing Derek's heart.

"We don't know why he wrote that." Lydia spoke up and Derek looked at her. "What little we heard of your position was that you were nowhere near Beacon Hills, which meant that you weren't the one who did that to him."

"You thought I was-…"

"We were grasping at straws." The Sheriff interrupted Derek and the former Alpha looked at the devastated father. "We tried everything. We didn't know what was going on with him. We even spoke to Gerard and Chris, and they had no idea what was going on. Scott even sought out Deucalion, but he was of no help either. When we realized you were nowhere near Beacon Hills we concluded that you couldn't have done anything to him, but that – that note has to mean something, Derek. He was clutching it with all his might even though he was already in a coma." Derek swallowed over the bitter lump in his throat and looked at the crumpled note in his hand.

Over a month.

It meant Stiles fell into the coma at the same time Derek's dreams became more vivid; at the same time Derek started thinking about coming back. He crumbled the note in his hand and looked up at the Sheriff.

"Where is he?" he growled and the older man looked at Scott.

"We'll take you to him." The Alpha said and Derek stood up.

"Let's go." He growled as the others followed his example. "And along the way you will tell me everything you have yet to say." Scott nodded as everyone moved for the front door. "Sheriff, you're coming with me and Scott. I want to know everything." The two nodded and they made their way to Derek's car.

The Sheriff took the front passenger seat while Scott took the back seat, and once Derek buckled his seat belt and checked to see if the others were ready to drive after them, he started the car and looked at John.

"Where to?" he asked.

"The Animal Clinic. We didn't want him in the hospital." Derek nodded and drove onto the road.

"Now, what more do you have to tell me?" he pressed out through his teeth and John and Scott exchanged a glance through the rearview mirror.

"Deaton has been watching over Stiles ever since we brought him back from the forest. Mellissa managed to sneak infusion from the hospital so Stiles doesn't lack anything, but even though Deaton tried everything, he failed to wake Stiles up." Derek spared a glance at the Sheriff and frowned.

"Sheriff, if there's-…"

"John." the older man interrupted him and Derek spared him another glance. "Call me John; everyone does." Derek nodded shortly and focused on the road again.

"If I know anything about Deaton it's that he always has a theory." Derek murmured and John nodded.

"You're right, but this time-…" he sighed difficultly and shook his head as desperation glimmered in his eyes. "This time he has no idea what happened. The only thing he knows is that Stiles' condition is somehow connected to the Sacrifice he, Scott and Allison committed to find Chris, Mellissa and me."

"But why are Scott and Allison alright then?" Derek asked.

"We don't know." Scott said. "Deaton has no idea why Stiles ended up in a coma. Allison and I do feel the darkness Deaton warned us we would feel, but there are no other consequences. We both just feel our fears and worries stronger, but we handle it. He doesn't know what went wrong with Stiles." Derek nodded shortly as they drove onto the parking lot in front of the Animal Clinic. Once they parked the car and got out they met up with everyone else and made their way towards the clinic.

They were all surprised when they found Marin at the front desk instead of Deaton, only to have their hearts fill with fear when she looked at them with a dark gaze.

"Marin?" John spoke brokenly as she let them in.

"Stiles has gotten worse. Alan had to defibrillate him because his heart stopped." She spoke as they followed her into the basement of the clinic. Derek felt like his heart fall to his stomach when they stopped in front of a room and Marin looked at him with a strict look. "I don't know in which way you're connected to this, Mr. Hale, but I sincerely hope you'll help." Derek frowned at her. She opened the door and nodded at him, and Derek looked at John over his shoulder.

"There's not enough room for all of us inside. You go." John said and Derek nodded. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room, hearing the door close behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Stiles, not even noticing Deaton who stood up from the chair beside Stiles' bed the moment Derek entered.

The teen looked like Death warmed over.

He lost what seemed like more than a third of his weight; his cheeks were indrawn and there were dark circles under his eyes. Even his hair looked lifeless. He was attached to several machines, including a respirator which was breathing for him since he was obviously too weak to breathe on his own.

"Derek?" ignoring Deaton completely Derek took several slow steps towards the hospital bed Stiles was lying in. With a shivering hand Derek reached for Stiles' right hand, which rested on top of the covers. Careful of the infusion, Derek took it in his left hand and his heart ached when he saw how thin Stiles' arms became. He looked so fragile; so breakable. Derek swallowed difficultly and forced himself to look at Stiles' face. His heartbeat was slow; so unlike Derek's which was through the roof. He looked at Deaton who was observing him carefully and shifted his jaw as he tried to think of what to say.

"More often than not you don't say everything you know." Derek finally spoke up and Deaton frowned. "The others do nothing concerning that. I _will_." He shot Deaton a pointed look and the Emissary's jaw shifted. "Tell me everything. Even if you're not sure in your conclusions, I want to know _everything_." Deaton nodded minutely and looked straight into Derek's eyes.

"I will. But first I will need you to tell me what brought you back to Beacon Hills." Without thinking about it Derek looked at Stiles and Deaton nodded for himself. "So you came back because of him." He concluded and Derek shot him a glance before he looked at Stiles again.

"I started dreaming about him." He admitted and Deaton nodded for him to continue even though Derek wasn't looking at him. "At first I just kept seeing him sitting alone in darkness. I could touch him, but no matter how hard I shook his he wouldn't react. I tried to make him say something, but he just kept staring at something I couldn't see. And then, a month ago the dream changed. Every night it was the same. I was with him in that darkness, with him staring straight through me, but this time he moved. He raised his hands and started making signs with his fingers."

"What signs?" Deaton asked and Derek swallowed. Unconsciously he took Stiles' left hand in his, and without really realizing what he was doing he started caressing his knuckles with his thumb.

"For a week I tried to discover what he was trying to tell me." He finally spoke up, and he was surprised when his voice came out raspy and strained. "Since I couldn't discover what those signs meant I spoke with the Emissary of the Pack Cora and I were staying with. It took us a week to discover what Stiles was trying to tell me." His mouth dried and he licked his lips. "When the door closes, don't open it." Deaton's eyes widened at Derek's words and the former Alpha looked at him. "Over and over and over again, he kept repeating the same phrase. In my dreams I tried to talk to him. I tried to make him look at me, but no matter what I did, he wouldn't budge. He just – he just kept repeating those signs with his eyes focused on something I couldn't see."

"Was there more?" Deaton asked and Derek nodded.

"He was pale and his eyes were dull; lifeless. But-…" he looked Stiles over and felt as though his guts filled with lead. "But he didn't look like this. He didn't look like he was-…"

"Dead?" the Emissary finished for him and Derek nodded weakly. Deaton looked at Stiles with a small, thoughtful frown. "I have nothing but theories." He said and Derek looked at him.

"What theories?" he pressed out through his teeth and Deaton sighed.

"I – I believe that he's trapped in the Void." Derek's frown deepened and Deaton took a step closer to the bed and placed his hand on Stiles' chest, right over his slowly beating heart. "I think that somehow a part of him stayed behind; that his soul didn't return completely from the other side." Derek looked at Stiles' face with a frown. "If that's the case, then it could be that the part of his soul that _did_ come back was constantly drawn to the missing part and that ever so slowly, the rest of his soul passed on to the other side. Since he was found beside the Nemeton, I think we can assume he was there every time he went missing. How Scott and the others didn't find him I don't know; this is just a theory of mine that sounds most plausible. I think he was going back there because the part of his soul that was trapped on the other side was calling the other part of him there. I think he's trapped there with no way to come back. That would explain his current condition. A body without a soul can't survive. The fact that he's still alive must mean that his soul is trying to return to his body." He looked at Derek and the Werewolf frowned at the pointed look Deaton aimed at him. "The fact that you started seeing him in your dreams at what appears to be the same time he fell into this coma, must mean that his soul is trying to find a way back." Derek would have swallowed if his mouth wasn't as dry as gunpowder.

"Do you have any idea what it means; what 'when the door closes, don't open it' means?" Deaton looked at Stiles' face and shook his head.

"I don't know." He admitted. "And I don't believe we'll know unless we manage to bring him back." Derek nodded.

"Do you have any idea why he ended up like this?" Derek asked. He looked at Deaton when no answer came right away and saw him looking at Stiles with a sad expression and shoulders hunched. For the first time since he met Deaton, Derek saw him looking sad and defeated. "Deaton?"

"I do believe that this could be my fault." Derek's eyes widened at Deaton's silent admission.

"What?" he breathed out and Deaton looked at him with a pained gaze.

"When he, Allison and Scott decided to commit the sacrifice to save their parents, I designated Lydia as Stiles' anchor." Derek's breath caught in his throat and Deaton looked away from him, and at Stiles' face. "I thought their connection would be strong enough to pull Stiles back. I thought Lydia's feelings for him were strong enough. I thought he loved her enough to latch onto her and come back. Scott and Allison made it, and – and I thought, since there were no signs in the beginning that there was anything wrong with him, that he made it back completely as well." He closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. "I never even thought he would end up like this." Heavy silence settled between them as Derek watched Deaton, and the Emissary stared at Stiles' face.

"Is there a way to bring him back?" Deaton looked at Derek with wide eyes and Derek's eyes darkened. "Is there a way to find his soul and bring it back to his body?"

"There could be a way." Deaton said and hurriedly continued. "But it would take someone going to the other side to find him, and the risk is too big. Both that person and Stiles could remain trapped on the other side." Derek pressed his teeth together tightly and looked at Stiles.

"Is that why you didn't tell _them_?" he asked and Deaton nodded.

"It would have to be someone with a strong connection to Stiles. The only ones among them who fit that are Scott and John; but the risk is too big for either one of them to-…"

"Who gave you the right?!" Derek and Deaton turned on their heels when the door was slammed open and John marched in with his eyes blazing hellish fury. "Who gave you the right to keep that information from us?!"

"John, you need to calm down-…"

"My_ son_ is _dying_!" John roared and Derek winced. "And you didn't think it important enough-…"

"John!" Mellissa jumped in front of the Sheriff and took a firm hold of his arms. "Deaton is right. The risk is too big!" Derek looked beyond John at Scott who was standing in the doorway with the others behind him. "We can lose neither you nor Scott!"

"Mellissa, that's my _son_!" John snapped.

"And he wouldn't want you to risk your life for his." Everyone looked at Scott when he spoke up and John seemed to deflate. "We heard everything." Scott said to Deaton and Derek, and the Emissary bowed his head in shame. "John, you know just as well as I do that Stiles wouldn't want us to risk our lives for him. He would never forgive himself if one of us died while trying to save him."

"We can't just let him die!" John cried out before he turned to look at Deaton. "There has to be a way to save him. You thought of this; think of something else!"

"I'm sorry, John." Deaton spoke lowly and looked at him with pain clear in his eyes. "But the only way to bring his soul back, if it's even trapped there, is to have someone he has a strong connection with to bring him back." Heavy silence settled among them as they bowed their heads. Sorrow and pain was almost palpable in the air, and the tension could be cut with a knife.

"What if I do it?" everyone tensed up when Derek spoke up and they looked at him with shock in their eyes. He nodded minutely and looked at Deaton. "You found a note in his hand which said that you should find me. If we got the timeline correct, my dreams started at the same time Stiles fell into the coma. I'm not as important as Scott and John. I can do it."

"Derek, no-…"

"Scott!" Derek interrupted the young Alpha, and Scott looked at him wide-eyed. "I came back because I couldn't stop dreaming about Stiles. Night after night I dreamt of him. Night after night I watched him as he used signed language to deliver me a message. Night after night he was telling me 'When the door closes, don't open it'. Now, I don't know what that means, and judging by everything I heard today, you don't know either. There's a chance I can save him, and I'm going to take it." Everyone was staring at him as though he'd grown another head.

"Didn't know you cared." Lydia pressed out through her teeth and Derek glared at her.

"Well obviously you didn't care enough." He returned in kind and she paled drastically. "Because if you _did_, he wouldn't be in this condition."

"I'm just as much to blame as she is, Derek." Deaton said, trying to calm the situation. "Don't take it out on her." Derek shifted his jaw, but nodded never the less.

"What do I have to do?"

"We didn't decide anything yet." John jumped in and Derek shot him through with a glare.

"There's nothing to decide." He said and John looked at him wide-eyed. "Stiles wrote a note in which he said you had to find me. I dreamt of him and came back because of _him_. Now, I do believe that we all know that no matter how it may have seemed to us, Stiles never did anything without a purpose. He always knows _exactly_ what he's doing."

"You're right." Scott said and the others nodded. "What I want to understand is _why_." Derek frowned in confusion when he saw the hurt in Scott's eyes. "Why would he ask for you to save him when John's his father and I'm his best friend?" Derek looked away from Scott and at Stiles' face. He looked down and only then did he realize that he's been holding onto Stiles' hand ever since he first took it. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and squeezed Stiles' hand a bit as he looked at his face.

"I don't know." He murmured. The Werewolves frowned at him. They heard the way his heart skipped a beat at his words, but they kept quiet and Derek gave them a minute nod. He looked at Scott pointedly and the Alpha turned his head away. Derek looked at Deaton and the Emissary sighed.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I am." Derek said without the need to think about it.

"Alright." He said. "We'll need to move Stiles, though. You'll have to lye beside him for this to work."

"My bed is big enough." Marin spoke up. "We just need to bring Stiles to my room."

"I'll take him, you take the machines." Derek said and Deaton nodded before he showed Mellissa and Marin to come in.

"Be careful." John warned Derek, and the Werewolf shot him a small glance. He let go of Stiles' hand as Deaton took the respirator, since it was the heaviest machine, Mellissa took the infusion stand and bags, and Morel took the heart monitor. Careful of all the wires attached to Stiles, Derek picked him up into his strong arms. He frowned when he felt how light the teen was, and his guts tightened.

'I should have come sooner.' He thought as they carefully carried Stiles up the stairs. Marin led them into the room on the floor above the clinic, and while the rest of the Pack with Scott and John in the front watched, Derek, Alan, Mellissa and Marin settled Stiles in her bed.

"What now?" Derek asked once he lay Stiles down and looked at Deaton.

"Scott, I need you to go to the operation room. Under the sink, you'll find a big, metal box. Please, bring it to me." Scott nodded and ran down into the operation room while the rest of the Pack entered the room to stand along the walls.

"Derek, I'll need you to lie down beside Stiles. Usually, you need to have something of his with him to anchor you on the other side, but since we have his body here, you'll just lay beside him." Derek nodded and toed off his shoes before he rounded the bed and took a seat. "I'll need you to take your jacket off as well." Derek raised an eyebrow at Deaton but did as he was told.

"What will you do?" John asked just as Scott came back with the metal box and Derek lay down beside Stiles.

"Stiles had to die to save you." Deaton said as he placed the box on the ground beside the bed and opened it. "Derek will need to do so as well."

"Won't you need a tub and the ice cold water for that?" Isaac asked only to wince when Deaton took a syringe out of the box and a bottle of a clear liquid.

"Derek is a born Werewolf." Deaton murmured as he filled the syringe with the clear liquid and pushed some out to make sure there was no air in it. "It will take more than extreme hypothermia to kill him." Isaac snorted while Scott and Allison raised eyebrows at Deaton. "Ready?"

"Wait." John jumped in before Derek could answer. He approached the bed and looked down at Derek who was frowning up at him. "Derek, I want you to know-…"

"No need, Sheriff." Derek murmured and looked at the ceiling. "I know." John swallowed difficultly and nodded at him shortly. Deaton took a seat beside Derek and took his massive forearm into his head as he prepared to inject the liquid in Derek's arm.

"Ready?" he asked and Derek nodded as he took a deep breath. "Don't worry." Deaton murmured as he pushed the needle into Derek's vein. "It will feel just like falling asleep." Heavy silence settled over the room just as Derek closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. Everyone watched with bated breath as his breathing became slower and slower. Deaton pulled the syringe out of Derek's vein and checked his wristwatch before he looked at the machines Stiles was attached to. "And now we wait." He murmured as Derek stopped breathing, and the Werewolves in the room shivered when his heart slowed down until it stopped beating all together.

Mellissa took John's hand into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, and he nodded as he took a deep breath. A shiver ran down their spines when the heart monitor that was beeping in a stead rhythm up until then signaled a skip in Stiles' heart beat.

"It's on." Marin murmured and shared a look with her brother. Together they looked down at Derek and Stiles, their eyes settling on their joined hands resting between them.

* * *

Derek took in a deep raspy breath as he dove out of darkness and fell on his knees. He stood up quickly and looked around frantically. He frowned when he realized he was in his old school. His frown deepened when he saw that it was daylight. He straightened and took a careful step forward. He recognized that hall. It led down to the gym. He winced and recoiled when the bell rang and the classroom started to open around him letting students out. His instincts told him to run and hide, and he would have if he didn't turn on his heel and a student he didn't see coming walked right through him.

He stopped in his tracks and looked around with wide eyes.

He swallowed difficultly when he looked down the hall and saw his younger self walking alone with his head bowed.

He remembered that day. It was a few weeks after Paige died. With a frown on his face he followed his younger self to his old locker. The hallway already started to empty. A basketball game would start soon; a game Derek didn't participate in because he quit the team after Paige died. He followed his younger self as he walked down the hall only to stop in his tracks when he remembered what happened that day.

"Scott?! Scott, where are you?!" a kid ran around the corner and ran straight into his younger self only to fall on the ground with a yelp.

"Kid, are you okay?" his younger self rushed to help the little one up.

"Yeah, yeah." Derek's heart jumped in his chest when the kid looked up at his younger self, and whiskey colored eyes alight with excitement, looked up at him. 'How could I forget?' he thought as his younger self received a toothy grin. "Sorry for running into you." His younger self chuckled and ruffled the kid's hair.

"It's okay, kiddo. Where were you running to?"

"I'm looking for my friend. Our school's basketball team is playing against the other school so we don't have any classes. Scott and I don't want to watch the game so we decided to go and play outside."

"You don't like basketball?" Derek took a few steps closer as his younger self talked with the kid.

"I don't like sports, but my friend Scott likes Lacrosse, so I agreed to play with him. He wants to get on the school team when we become juniors." The younger Derek chuckled and nodded at the kid.

"Gen?! Gen, you're here! I've been looking all over for you!" Derek looked at the kid that ran over to them and swallowed with slight difficulties when he recognized a younger Scott McCall. The kid looked up at his younger self and his eyes widened almost comically as he gapped. "You're – You're Derek Hale, right? You were a star player of the school basketball team, right?" his younger self chuckled sadly and nodded at the 10 year old.

"Yeah."

"Why did you quit the team?" Derek frowned as his younger self sighed heavily and focused on Scott's friend. 'Why didn't I make the connection?' he thought as he gazed down at the young, confused faces.

"I can't play anymore." His younger self said and Scott pouted.

"Did you get hurt while playing?" the kid with the whiskey colored eyes asked and the young Derek smiled at him kindly.

"Yeah." He spoke brokenly. "I got hurt."

"Then all you have to do is get better, right?" Derek felt something in him twitch when his younger self smiled and ruffled the young Stiles' hair again.

"Yeah. Go now, you two. I hope the both of you join the Lacrosse team." He said and the kids grinned at him.

"Thank you!" they said at the same time and ran down the hall. Before Derek could follow them, the world started to spin so fast he almost lost his balance. His breath caught in his throat and he felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He tripped forward and when he straightened he found himself in the hospital. The hallway was empty except for one small figure sleeping in a chair all curled up.

Derek frowned and took a small step forward. In that moment someone walked around the corner and his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw his mother, Laura and himself.

"You wait here, Derek. Laura and I will be done quickly." His mother told his younger self and he nodded at her only to frown when he saw the kid. Derek's frown deepened when his memory was stirred. He remembered that day vaguely. He was 16 then, and one of his human cousins was in the hospital with a broken arm. His younger self took a seat beside the sleeping boy and gently shook his shoulder.

"Kid? Come on; wake up. You can't be comfortable like that." The kid woke up with a start and the hood that was pulled on his head fell down, making Derek's heart stop. Two sad, terrified, whiskey colored orbs gazed up at his younger self. "Take it easy, kiddo. I didn't mean to frighten you."

'Stiles?' Derek thought brokenly as the kid sniffed and shook his head.

"It's okay. I guess I fell asleep." His younger self chuckled and the kid smiled shyly.

"I remember you." He said and Derek's heart skipped a beat. "I met you and your friend at school." The younger Stiles took a closer looked at him before his eyes widened slightly and he nodded.

"You're Derek, right?"

"Yeah. I don't think I caught your name that day."

"Genim." Derek's hands were shivering as his brain started to catch up on things.

"What are you doing here, Genim?" the younger Stiles giggled and shook his head.

"It's Gen-Im; not GE-nim."

"Sorry." His younger self apologized and young Stiles shook his head with a small smile.

"It's okay. The only one who correctly say my name is my – my mom." Stiles' voice broke and his younger self frowned when Stiles bowed his head.

"Is something wrong with your mom?" Stiles nodded and tears filled his eyes.

"She's very sick." He murmured and his younger self frowned. He placed his hand on Stiles' small shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Hey, don't be sad. I'm sure your mom will be alright." Derek took a step closer as the memories slowly came back to him. Genim looked up at him and smiled a bit and his younger self chuckled. "That's it. Smiling suits you better than frowning." Genim giggled and his smile widened.

"Thank-…"

"Genim?" a younger Mellissa McCall ran over to them and Stiles looked at her wide eyed.

"Aunt Mel?" he got up as Mellissa looked at him with tears filling her eyes.

"Gen, your mom wants to – she wants to see you. I'm trying to get your dad on the phone, so while he's on his way why don't you – why don't you stay with your mom?" he nodded as he looked at Mellissa with a confused frown. He looked at his younger self and smiled weakly.

"Thank you." With that said he followed after Mellissa. Derek stood completely still as everything started to shift around him and he found himself standing in the doorway of one of the single rooms in the hospital. He saw John and Stiles holding on to each other as they cried together beside a woman whose heart wasn't beating anymore. Derek swallowed difficultly as he looked to the side and found his younger self observing them through the window. His mother stood beside him with her hand on his shoulder, and Laura was leaning against the wall behind them.

"She had brain tumor. There was no way to save her." Talia Hale spoke gravely and his younger self nodded with a pained expression on his face.

"Poor kid." Laura murmured and Talia nodded.

"Let's go, Derek. Your father will worry." His younger self nodded and turned to leave only to stop in his tracks when the younger Stiles looked up and his eyes met those of his younger self. Tears streamed down pale cheeks, and Derek remembered exactly what he thought in that moment. As his younger self walked away and everything started to turn around him, he remembered.

'_I hope you learn how to smile again, kid.'_

Derek closed his eyes and bowed his head as the world spun around him. His heart ached and his mind was filled with memories. He felt the air currents around him calm, but he didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to see this new memory because he knew what it would be.

He didn't want to see it.

But he knew he had to.

Ever so slowly he opened his eyes and a steel, clawed hand gripped his heart.

He was standing in the graveyard. The sky was dark and heavy rain was pouring. He looked to the side and saw people walking towards the entrance. He saw himself and Laura standing alone in the rain. In the distance he saw the newly appointed Sheriff John Stilinski talking with a few people.

"We need to go, Derek." Laura spoke quietly and Derek looked at his younger self. He saw Laura's broken hearted look; one he didn't see on that day because he was too overtaken by sorrow, pain and guilt. "I'll wait for you in the car." She said, turned around and walked away. Derek didn't remember how long he stood there in the pouring rain. He remembered feeling sick. He remembered feeling angry. He remembered hating himself more than he hated Kate. It was his fault; entirely his fault.

Derek took a deep breath when he remembered what happened next, and as if on cue, he saw him walking towards his younger self with an armful of white roses.

The one he now knew was younger Stiles stopped behind Derek and looked at the line of new graves. Derek watched as realization shone in younger Stiles' eyes as he looked at his younger self's back.

"I'm sorry about their deaths." His younger self twitched and looked at Stiles with dull, cold eyes. Without a word he looked at the graves again and Stiles frowned as he bit into his bottom lip. He looked at the bunch of roses in his arms as if contemplating something before he looked up at the line of graves. He nodded for himself and moved forward. His younger self watched as Stiles walked from one grave to another, placing on rose on each.

"What are you doing?" his younger self rasped out just as Stiles finished and smiled sadly at him.

"Paying respects." He said and stopped beside Derek. There were no more roses in his arms so he clasped his hands in front of himself and bowed his head while his younger self stared at him with a suspicious frown. A few moments later Stiles opened his eyes and looked up at Derek. "I know it hurts." He said and tilted his head to the side as he looked at Derek with understanding and compassion in his eyes. "It won't stop hurting, but it will become easier." His younger self snorted and looked at the graves again.

"I doubt it." He bit out and Stiles looked at him with a sad smile.

"I hope you learn how to smile again, Derek." He murmured as he turned to walk away. "It suits you better than frowning." His younger self watched from the corner of his eyes as Stiles walked away.

Derek watched as Stiles walked over to his father and a small smile tugged on his lips when John shook his head at his son with a fond smile before they walked away. Derek looked at his younger self again as he remembered the feelings passing through him at that time.

'_I'll never smile again.'_

Derek shivered as everything started to shift around him.

As if he was watching a movie on fast forward he saw himself meeting Scott and Stiles in the woods after he returned to Beacon Hills. He saw everything they lived through, all the while wondering how he didn't remember Stiles sooner; how he didn't recognize him right away.

He wondered how he didn't connect the dots until now.

He kept wondering as scenes changed in front of him one after another.

"_Oh, I don't know, Derek. You two make a pretty good pair."_

Derek swallowed even though his mouth was dry and fisted his hands by his sides as he relived everything all over again.

Everything slowed down and Derek found himself looking at his own back. He looked around with a frown and realized he was in his loft. He looked at himself and walked over to the table his other self was leaning over, pouring over different newspapers. Derek looked at the date and his frown deepened.

It was just a few days after they defeated Gerard and found the message of the Alpha Pack. He remembered that Isaac was with Peter that day. He sent them to look for Erica and Boyd. He turned around when he remembered what he did that day and what would soon happen. His other self straightened and he turned on his heel as the door of his new loft opened and Stiles walked in.

"I gotta tell you, Sourwolf. You sure know how to pick 'em." Stiles walked into the loft and Derek's throat closed up when he was reminded just how good Stiles looked mere months ago. His just started to let his hair grow. He had his hands pushed deep in the pockets of his red hoody, and he walked with that same strut he always seemed to walk with.

Derek looked at his other self remembering how much he hated it all at that moment; how much he hated asking Stiles for help, how much he didn't want the teen to mix in.

Stiles stopped in front of his old self and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked and his other self huffed.

"I need your help." He bit out and Stiles' eyebrows rose.

"I should have figured this wasn't a social call." He grumbled and brushed the fingers of his right hand through his now slightly longer hair. Derek couldn't help but snort when his other self rolled his eyes and shifted his weight.

"I shouldn't have called you." He muttered and turned his back on Stiles.

"Come on, Derek. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to help you." His other self turned to look at Stiles with a suspicious look. "What do you need help with?" his other self took a deep breath and turned to face Stiles fully before he crossed his arms over his chest.

'I really _was_ a Sourwolf.' Derek thought as Stiles raised an eyebrow at his other self who shifted his jaw.

"I have a problem." He bit out and Stiles snorted.

"That's nothing new." He murmured and his other self growled at him, making Stiles raise his hands and smirk a little. His other self growled a little before he huffed and shifted his jaw again.

"Peter and Isaac are out searching for Erica and Boyd. I don't want them to know you were here. I don't want _anyone_ to know you were here." Stiles frowned in confusion but nodded never the less.

"What is it?" Derek took a deep breath a shifted his weight.

"An Alpha Pack is coming to Beacon Hills." Stiles' eyebrows touched the line of his hair.

"Say again?"

"An Alpha Pack; a Pack made out of Alphas is coming to Beacon Hills."

"How does that work?"

"I don't know." Derek bit out and annoyance colored his voice, and Stiles bowed his head a little with a thoughtful frown and bit into his bottom lip.

"Why are they coming?"

"I don't know."

Derek remembered expecting another smartass remark from Stiles, only to be surprised when the teen's frown deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you need me to do?" his other self frowned in confusion when Stiles said that.

"Your father is the Sheriff, and I know he tells you a lot of things. I need you to listen in to him as much as you can. I need to know if anything suspicious happens." Stiles nodded in understanding. "Do you think you can do that?" Stiles raised an eyebrow at him.

"'Course I can." He muttered before he lowered his arms and pushed his hands into his pockets again. "What I want to know is why I can't tell anyone?" his other self frowned and looked down.

"This isn't your battle to fight. They must have heard about me and they're coming for me. I don't want Scott or you to get involved into something you don't need to get involved with." Stiles looked at him with a small frowning pout.

"I don't like that, Derek." He murmured and his other self frowned at him. "I will help you, but you'll have to promise me that if things get too much for you to handle alone, you'll let me talk to Scott." His other self ground his teeth together before he nodded slowly and Stiles grinned. "Great! I'll call you with news." He said, turned on his heel and made his way towards the door. "Oh; and Sourwolf?" he stopped by the door and looked at his other self, and Derek felt something in him shift when Stiles smirked at him. He remembered feeling quite taken back by that.

"What?" his other self asked and Stiles snorted.

"Smile; it suits you better than frowning." With that said Stiles left and Derek looked at his other self. He frowned and bowed his head and Derek swallowed difficultly.

'Why didn't I make the connection?' he thought as the world started shifting around him again. 'Why didn't I see who he really was?' the world started shifting and he found himself in the corner of Stiles' room. The teen was sitting in front of his computer and he was biting into his bottom lip as he stared at whatever he was reading. A second later the window opened and his other self entered the room.

"Stiles?" the teen jumped out of his chair with a yelp.

"Knock, damn it!" he hissed and his other self raised an eyebrow at him. Stiles took a deep calming breath and threw a small glare at his other self and Derek smiled at little.

This wasn't the first time he surprised Stiles that summer. This was the fourth time it happened. Derek remembered that night clearly. Usually he'd come, Stiles would tell them if there's something new he should be watchful of and then he'd leave. This time was different.

"You called me." His other self said and Stiles ran his fingers through his growing hair.

"Yeah." He murmured and grabbed a few papers off of his table. Derek took a moment to look around Stiles room while the teen handed the papers to his other self. One wall was already covered with papers of all sorts; newspaper pages, printed papers, photos.

"Are you sure this is connected to them?" his other self asked and Derek looked at them. Stiles took a deep breath and nodded.

"They're leaving a bloody path. It's may seem random; to the naked eye there's nothing to connect these murders."

"But you've seen the pattern." His other self concluded and Stiles nodded.

"It's them. And they're close; very close." His other self frowned and nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." He said and handed Stiles the papers before he turned around and made his way towards the window, and a small smile tugged on Derek's lips.

"Derek, wait." Stiles stopped his other self and he turned to look at the teen.

"What?" Stiles took a deep breath and tilted his head to the side with a small smile.

"You always come for information. I'm sure you're constantly running around and that you aren't getting enough rest." His other self frowned and bowed his head a little.

"I need to look for Erica and Boyd." He said and Stiles huffed.

"I know; and I'm sure Isaac is on it right now." His other self looked at Stiles with a confused, thoughtful frown.

"What do you want?" Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Derek, my dad's taken the night shift today. Why don't you stay for a bit? You need to take a break."

Derek smiled a little when he remembered what he thought and felt at Stiles' words. A lot of thoughts passed through his mind, but the most prominent one was what the teen was doing. At that time Derek still didn't believe they were friends. Stiles was just someone who was helping him get the information he needed.

But the teen was right.

He did need to take a break.

Derek remembered constantly searching for Erica and Boyd at that time. He remembered he hadn't had a night of sleep in days before he met Stiles that night.

Ever so slowly his other self moved away from the window and Stiles grinned at him.

"Make yourself comfortable. I wanted to have something to eat either way." He all but ran out of the room and Derek found himself standing with his other self in the room. He watched as he looked around the room with hands deep in the pockets of his jacket. Derek watched as he walked over to a cabinet and took a photo off of it. It was of Stiles and his mother.

Derek licked his lips and took a deep breath. 'I can't believe I didn't recognize him. What was wrong with me?'

In that moment Stiles ran back in and his other self hurriedly left the photo on the cabinet. Stiles grinned at him and presented him with a plate full of sandwiches.

"Dinner and a movie?" his other self snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Is this a date?" he grunted as he took a seat on Stiles' bed, and the teen choked up and tripped on air. His other self jumped forward and caught the teen and the plate before they hit the ground. "Idiot." he grumbled and Stiles grinned at him, although now that Derek took a closer look, he saw something in Stiles' eyes he didn't notice that time.

"So!" the teen let Derek take the plate with the sandwiches and walked over to his computer. "Comedy, Thriller, Action or Horror?" he asked while his other self took a seat on the bed again and Stiles started rummaging through the endless DVD's scattered over his desk. "And if you say horror I'm _soooo_ going to laugh at you." He murmured and Derek snorted. His other self rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Thriller." The teen turned to grin at him and waved Thor the Movie at him.

"Too late; already picked one." His other self rolled his eyes again, but said nothing. Within minutes Stiles started the movie and all but threw himself on the bed beside Derek. He placed the plate of sandwiches between them and grabbed one. Derek watched as his other self observed Stiles in contemplation.

Derek remembered wondering what the teen was doing. He remembered feeling something he hadn't felt since Laura died. He watched as his other self settled against the wall, and saw Stiles throw a small glance in his direction. Derek's heart clenched when he saw a small, pleased smile grace Stiles' lips before the teen concentrated on the movie again.

Derek fisted his hands by his sides as he felt the air shift and everything started to move quicker. He saw Stiles falling asleep in the middle of the movie. He saw himself placing the empty plate beside Stiles' computer before he left. Everything moved quickly as Derek watched. He saw it all again.

The events of the past months drifted in front of his eyes as if on fast-forward, and Derek found it difficult to breathe. He felt as though a mountain settled on his back as everything darkened around him.

His breath caught in his throat and he shut his eyes tightly. A wave of something pushed him forward and he stumbled and fell on his knees. He felt the world stop spinning, and ever so slowly, as he took deep, strained breaths, he opened his eyes, only to lose his breath all together.

"Hello, Sourwolf."

His eyes widened and he froze up.

Whiskey colored eyes gazed at him with a fond smile on that pale, thin face. Derek pushed himself on his feet and took a hesitant step forward.

"Stiles?" he breathed out and the weak, thin teen smiled at him.

"Took you long enough." he spoke in a raspy, broken voice and Derek took a good look at him. His soul was just as drained as his body was, but his eyes; his eyes were glowing with life. There was happiness in them and Derek felt as though someone pushed their hand in his chest and grabbed his heart as though they wanted to rip it right out

Stiles' thin, chapped lips stretched into a small, weak smile, and he tilted his head to the side a bit.

"It's good to see you again, Derek."

"Stiles, what – what happened to you?" Derek murmured as he walked over to Stiles. They were in a big white room, and Stiles was sitting on the Nemeton with his hands resting clasped in his lap. Derek noticed he was shivering and immediately took his leather jacket off. He wrapped it around Stiles as he took a seat beside him, and the teen chuckled.

"It's strange how a single mistake can make such a mess." He said and Derek frowned.

"Whose mistake?" he asked and Stiles looked at him.

"Lydia. Deaton was wrong when he made her serve as my anchor." Derek swallowed and nodded a bit, before he looked around.

"What is this place?" Stiles sighed and Derek looked at him only to find the teen looking around.

"I don't know exactly. I _do_ know what this place puts you through though." Derek frowned in worry when a pained smile tugged on Stiles' lips. "I've seen my life roll in front of me so many times by now that I could write everything down without a problem." Derek nodded in understanding and Stiles looked at him. "Thank you for coming." Derek's frown deepened when he saw something he couldn't name in Stiles' eyes. He could only say that it made something inside him freeze.

"You called me here." He said and Stiles smiled a little. "Now, all we have to do is get you out of here." Stiles' smile turned sad and Derek's heart clenched.

"I can't leave this place, Derek." He spoke weakly and Derek jumped on his feet.

"What?" the teen only bowed his head and Derek looked at his legs. Only then did he realize that there were thick roots climbing up Stiles' legs. "Stiles?" his voice broke as breathing became a problem. "Stiles, what's going on?" Stiles bowed his head and swallowed difficultly.

"We opened the door, Derek; we opened the door that never should have been opened."

_When the door closes, don't open it._

"Stiles, what's going on?" he pressed out through his teeth and Stiles looked up at him.

"The Nemeton lost its power centuries ago and the door closed. We opened the door with our Sacrifice; with _my _Sacrifice. It started gaining power again; and its taking his power from me." Derek paled and his eyes widened when the meaning of Stiles' words reached him.

"We need to destroy it." He growled and Stiles' eyes filled with something Derek couldn't name.

"It can be destroyed only from the outside." He said. "I can't leave this place Derek. I tried. I tried everything, and I failed. The Nemeton won't stop on me. Once it's done draining me it will turn on everyone else. It will drink Beacon Hills dry."

"What do you need me to do?" a small smile tugged on Stiles' lips.

"I need you to go back and tell Scott and the others to destroy it."

"What about you?" Derek asked and tears filled Stiles' eyes. "No." Derek growled. "I'm not leaving you here."

"Derek."

"No!" the Werewolf snapped. "I'm not letting you die!"

"Derek, I can't leave this place." Stiles breathed out and Derek kneeled in front of him. He took his bony hands in his and shot him through with a strict look.

"If we destroy the Nemeton, you'll be set free-…"

"Derek."

"I can go back and tell them what to do and then come back for you."

"This risk is too big, Derek!" Stiles cried out.

"I don't care about the risk, Stiles!" Derek snapped and Stiles looked at him wide-eyed. "You saved me; you saved me a hundred times already. I won't leave you; I won't let you die." Stiles eyes softened and he swallowed difficultly.

"You remembered?" Derek bowed his head a little and looked at Stiles' hands.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I couldn't remember you. I'm sorry I – I'm sorry I failed you." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he tried to swallow over the huge lump of bitter guilt. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt a gentle hand cup his right cheek.

"Derek?" he opened his eyes when Stiles pushed his head up and looked into those unique, beautiful, whiskey colored eyes. "You never failed me."

"Stiles-…"

"You did well, Derek." Stiles smiled at him and all of a sudden Derek felt like he could see his mother gazing down at him. "You did really well."

New resolution burned in Derek's heart, and strength filled his body.

"I will save you, Stiles." He pressed out through his teeth and Stiles' eyes widened. "I'll save you."

* * *

_I let it go, and now I know __  
__a brand new life is down this road. __  
__And when it's right, you always know. __  
__So this time, I won't let go._

* * *

Derek jumped awake with a deep, painful intake of breath and he felt a pair of strong hands holding him down.

"Derek, calm down! You need to calm down!" Scott's worried face came into focus and Derek immediately looked at Stiles. He looked at the heart machine and something in him jumped when he noticed that Stiles' heart was beating just a little bit faster.

"Derek?" the rest of the Pack ran into the room and Derek immediately looked at John and Deaton.

"He's trapped in there. The Nemeton is feeding off of him." He blurted out as he caught his breath. "When Scott, Allison and he sacrificed themselves, they opened the door which never should have been opened, and – and now the Nemeton is feeding off of him. It's killing him, and once – once it's done with Stiles it'll destroy this town. It will feed on everyone in it."

"We need to destroy it!" John said and looked at Deaton. "We need to set Stiles free!"

"Derek what did you see?" Deaton asked and Derek shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

"The Nemeton is practically swallowing him. I couldn't – I couldn't pull him out of there without hurting him." He looked at Deaton while the others frowned in worry. "Someone needs to go and destroy the Nemeton while I go back to Stiles. The moment the Nemeton is destroyed I'll need to pull him back with me; he's too weak to come back alone."

"That's too risky, Derek. We're risking losing the both of you-…"

"I'm not leaving him there to die!" Derek roared and everyone shivered when his eyes turned bright blue. "I won't let him die!" heavy silence settled over the room as everyone stared at Derek in either shock or surprise.

"Are you sure you want to risk your life?" Deaton asked and Derek glared at him.

"Stiles risked his life countless times. It's time someone did the same for him." He pressed out through his teeth and Deaton nodded.

"Very well." He said and looked at Scott. "Isaac, Scott, Ethan and Aiden; the four of you will go and destroy the Nemeton. You'll need to burn it, and you'll need to make sure every single piece of it is turned to ashes." The four Werewolves nodded at Deaton and without a word to anyone they left the room. Once they were gone Deaton turned to look at Derek. "Derek, this is the last time I will ask this. If you fail you will die-…"

"I know." Derek interrupted Deaton and looked at Stiles. "I don't care." Deaton nodded while Mellissa took John's hand in hers and Derek looked at the Sheriff. "I'll bring him back." He promised and John nodded.

"You do that." He rasped out and Derek lay down again. Deaton prepared another syringe and took a seat beside Derek. Their eyes met and Derek nodded at him as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He felt the sting of the metal needle and let go of the breath he was holding as darkness consumed him.

He lurched forward and stumbled before he regained his balance and looked up at Stiles' shocked face.

"Derek?" he breathed out and Derek's eyes widened when he saw that the roots wrapping around Stiles climbed all the way up to his knees. Derek hurried over to him and fell on his knees in front of him. "Why did you come back, Derek? What's going on?" Stiles' voice was colored with panic and Derek looked up from the roots and in Stiles' eyes.

"Scott, Aiden, Ethan and Isaac left to destroy the Nemeton and I came back to make sure you make it."

"Derek-…"

"Don't." the Werewolf interrupted Stiles and the teen's eyes widened. Derek took a deep breath and looked in Stiles' eyes. "I failed you." He pressed out through his teeth. "I continued failing you ever since the first time we met. I failed to recognize you and for the longest time I continuously antagonized you because I – because I didn't know what to make of you. From the day we met in the forest I could feel something about you, and I kept denying it because I – because I was a stupid Sourwolf that couldn't see beyond his own stupidity."

"You're not-…"

"I am, Stiles." Derek raised his hands and cupped Stiles' face in his hands. "And I'm sorry. Even though you've never said anything I _know_ you remember me from before all of this. And I'm sorry; I'm sorry for not remembering you." Stiles' eyes filled with tears again.

"We only met two or three times, Derek. You couldn't have-…"

"I should have." Derek interrupted him again and smiled a small strained smile. "But it doesn't matter now. I'll make it up to you. I just need to get you out of here." Stiles let go of a wavering breath and shook his head.

"You're an idiot, Derek Hale." He spoke brokenly and Derek frowned at him. "Do I really need to be on the brink of death for you to proclaim your undying love for me?" despite the situation Derek laughed and Stiles' lips twitched into a small smile.

"I'm not proclaiming anything, you idiot." He grumbled as he let go of Stiles face and looked at the roots around his legs. He placed his hands on the roots to see how strong they were. "At least not until we're both out of here." the teen chuckled at his words and Derek growled when the roots refused to give in under his strength. He felt Stiles shiver when he wolfed out and he spared the teen a look from under his eyebrows. "I'll be careful." Stiles nodded and Derek returned to the roots. He made sure his claws would be as far away from Stiles' legs as possible as he dug his claws into the thick root and pulled. He looked up with bated breath when Stiles hissed and frowned when he saw the teen breathing deeply. "Stiles?"

"Is it – is it just me or is it getting increasingly warmer in here?" Stiles gasped out and Derek's eyes widened. He looked at the Nemeton and his heart almost stopped when he saw an illusion of flames building around it. With a growl he returned to the roots and trying to be as careful as possible he ripped them apart.

"Derek?!" the Werewolf grabbed Stiles and pulled him off of the Nemeton just as it burst into flames and inhuman screams filled the air.

"Stiles!" the former Alpha grabbed the teen when he screamed and collapsed on the floor with his hands over his ears. Derek looked around with wide eyes and not a moment too soon, because just as he pulled Stiles as far away from the Nemeton as he could, several roots jumped into the air and rushed towards them. Derek let go of Stiles and cut the roots down before he rushed over to his side again and took him into his strong arms. He did his best to ignore the screams and the growing heat around them. Stiles was shivering and whimpering in his arms as the room around them shone red with the fire that was consuming the Nemeton.

"Derek?" the Werewolf looked down at Stiles when the frightened whimper escaped his lips and his breath caught in his throat when he saw that Stiles' clothes started to smoke. He growled and looked at the Nemeton, his eyes glowing bright blue.

"You won't take him." He pressed out through his sharpening teeth as roots rose into the air, enveloped in hellish flames. Derek pulled Stiles closer to his body, as he moved away from the Nemeton slowly. "I won't let you take him." The roots rushed towards them and Derek bowed over Stiles, covering him with his body. In that moment the heat around them became almost unbearable and Derek looked up with murderous eyes, trying to ignore the inhuman screams echoing around them. His eyes widened when he saw the roots fall to the ground and turned to ashes as the fire burned harder and harder.

Suddenly Stiles screamed and Derek looked at him. In the next moment Derek's breath hitched in his throat when Stiles pushed him away from himself.

"Stiles!" he called out and Stiles looked up at him weakly. The fire was dangerously close to the teen and all of a sudden, huge pressure pushed Derek down. He barely managed to raise his head, and feeling as though a mountain fell on his back, he moved his right arm and reached for Stiles. "Stiles, please-…" he pressed out through his teeth and the younger man raised his head weakly. His eyes were filled with pain, but never the less he moved his right arm and reached for Derek. The Werewolf whimpered when he saw the flames licking at Stiles' feet and he pushed himself harder.

'Just a bit more!' he thought, his fingers inches away from Stiles'. 'Just a little bit more!' he felt his fingers brush against Stiles', and the teen cried out in pain.

"Stiles!" Derek roared when he felt something grab him from behind and Stiles' eyes opened wide. With last bits of strength Derek moved forward and just as his fingers touched Stiles' everything went dark.

"STILES!"

* * *

He lurched up and hit the hard ground his ears immediately assaulted by a loud, quickly beeping noise.

"Derek? Derek, focus!" someone grabbed his shoulders and shook him and his eyesight cleared quickly. He saw Deaton looking at him and behind the Emissary he saw John and Mellissa beside the bed. Mellissa was holding a syringe as John tried to subdue Stiles, who was trashing around in bed.

"Stiles?!" the Werewolf breathed out and jumped around Deaton. He completely ignored Allison, Lydia and Danny who were cowering in a corner, and Marin who was standing in the doorway with wide, terrified eyes and her arms wrapped around her waist, as he crawled over to the bed before he pushed himself on his feet and helped John hold Stiles down. He couldn't think because of the quick beeping of the heart monitor, and all he could see was Stiles' pale face and wide, unseeing eyes.

And all of a sudden it stopped.

The beeping turned into a long, ominous tone.

Stiles' eyes slipped closed.

A long breath left his lips as his body went lax and his head rolled to the side.

"Stiles?" the Sheriff whispered brokenly, but Derek could only stare. John moved back as heavy silence settled between them. The only sound that could be heard was that of the heart monitor.

"Stiles?" Derek breathed out weakly as his heart beat in his ears. He kept staring at Stiles' pale face. His whole body was shivering and a lump of something bitter appeared in his throat. "S – Stiles?" he cupped the teen's face in his hands doing his best to ignore the long, ominous note echoing through the room. 'No.' he thought as tears welled up in his eyes and his lungs filled with lead. 'No!'

* * *

_You came back to find I was gone, __  
__and that place is empty, like the hole that was left in me, __  
__like we were nothing at all.__  
__It's not what you meant to me; __  
__thought we were meant to be._

* * *

"Genim?" he whispered brokenly. He ignored it all. He ignored John's painful cries, and Mellissa's sorrowful whimpers. He ignored Allison and Lydia's broken crying, and Danny's quiet sniffing. He ignored Deaton's and Marin's mournful presence.

He concentrated completely on Stiles.

Only on Stiles.

"I'm not letting you go, Genim." His voice was barely above a whisper as he caressed Stiles' indrawn cheeks with his thumbs. "You didn't give up on me. You never gave up on me. I'm not giving up on you, Stiles; Genim. I'm never giving up on you." A few tears dropped on Stiles' pale cheeks and Derek felt like a clawed hand gripped his heart. He let go of a strained breath and rested his forehead against Stiles. "Please." He pressed out through his teeth. "You never gave up on me." He was almost hyperventilating, and he felt like the world was spinning around him. "Please, don't give up now. Please; please come back." His heart was beating in his ears so hard that he didn't even hear the heart monitor anymore. He never felt this broken; not when Paige died, not when his family was killed, not when Laura died, much less when he found out about Jennifer. He let go of a choked up sob and leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Stiles' lips. "Please come back."

In that moment everything went quiet, and Derek felt like the world stilled.

"Smile." His breath caught up in his throat and his eyes snapped open, and he found himself gazing into tired whiskey colored eyes; tired, but so filled with life. In that moment various sounds slammed into Derek's ears, and he finally registered the steady beeps coming from the heart monitor. "You should smile more." Stiles' voice was barely above a whisper. It was raspy and weak, but it was his voice. "It suits you better than frowning."

"Stiles?"

* * *

_There's only one thing left here to say; __  
__love's never too late._

* * *

Derek stared in Stiles' eyes for what seemed like hours, and when a small smile tugged on Stiles' lips Derek felt like his heart would burst.

"I thought we were past monosyllable conversations, Sourwolf."

And Derek kissed him.

He kissed him for all it was worth and pulled him into a tight embrace. Even though it was weak, Derek felt Stiles raise his arms and return his hug. He pulled back and Stiles looked to the side at the same time Derek did. John and Mellissa were staring at them with shock written all over their faces.

"Dad?" it was all it took for John to move, and the Sheriff jumped forward. Derek moved to the side in time, and Stiles was enveloped in his father's arms. Derek swallowed difficultly and looked at the others. A moment later Scott, Aiden, Ethan and Isaac ran up, breathless and wide-eyed, only for Scott to collapse and laugh when he saw John hugging Stiles, and Stiles hugging him back as hard as he could.

Derek closed his eyes and sat back against the headboard as he finally started breathing again. He tilted his head to the side and looked at John and Stiles with a small smile. John raised his head a little and looked at him, and Derek nodded at him when he mouthed 'thank you'. John buried his face in Stiles' neck and Derek leaned his head back on the wall, and a small, happy smile tugged on his lips.

Everything would be alright.

* * *

_I've broken free from these memories; __  
__I've let it go.__  
__I've let it go.__  
__And two goodbyes led to this new life.__  
__Don't let me go.__  
__Don't let me go._

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Feel My Love

**The song that is featuring in this chapter is 'Make you feel my love' sung by Adele. I claim no rights to the song.**

**This chapter contains Explicit scenes, so if you are underage or don't like that, please don't read.**

**I hope you'll enjoy it!**

* * *

"Come in!"

Derek smiled and nodded at John who stood beside him in the hallway in front of Stiles' room. John clapped Derek's shoulder, smiled and walked away while Derek opened the door and peeked in.

"Still in bed?" he asked as he entered and Stiles smiled at him weakly.

"So funny." He drawled and Derek chuckled as he walked over to Stiles' bed and took a seat beside him. He placed the box he brought with him on Stiles' bedside table before he leaned forward and gently kissed the teen.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and Stiles snorted. He looked down as Derek moved back a little and Derek saw that Stiles was barely holding back from scratching the irritated skin around the infusion that was still in his left hand.

"I'd feel so much better if I didn't have to suffer this." He grumbled and Derek chuckled a little as he placed his hand on Stiles' thin thigh and gave at it reassuring squeeze.

"Just a few more days, Stiles, and it will be out. You're slowly getting better, and Mellissa and Deaton just don't want to take any chances. We don't want you to get sick." Stiles sighed, but nodded.

"It's just irritating. I know I'm still weak and all that shit, but sitting in this bed day after day is annoying me. I'm getting stir crazy." Derek smiled and raised his left hand to gently cup Stiles' right cheek. He caressed it with his thumb and Stiles' smile grew a little.

"You gave us quite a fright, Stiles. Please, don't make any problems. We just want you to get better."

"I know." Stiles murmured and Derek nodded. "What did you bring me?" the Werewolf chuckled as Stiles hopped in his place a little and took the package he brought with him in his hands.

"Your dad would kill me if he saw that this isn't vegetables, so you need to eat it before he comes to check up on us." He said and Stiles grinned at him.

"Is it Curly Fries?" he asked and Derek snorted with a smile on his face as he opened the box and Stiles' eyes filled with grateful happiness. "Derek Hale, if I didn't love you before, I'd _definitely_ fall in love with you now!" Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles took the Fries and popped one into his mouth.

"Just eat it slowly. I don't want you to get sick." Stiles nodded fervently before he rested back into his fluffy pillows with a blessed moan.

"You're my god, Derek." He spoke after he swallowed and took another Fry. The former Alpha smiled at him lovingly and watched as Stiles enjoyed the Curly Fries like they were ambrosia.

It's been two weeks since they destroyed the Nemeton and Stiles came back to life; quite literally. The teen was still weak, and he had a lot of weight to gain back, but he was on the way to a complete recovery.

Derek already started noticing that his cheeks were slowly filling up, and his hands weren't shaking as much as they did when he was holding something.

They all knew Stiles' recovery would take some time, but they would all be there for him. They were happy he was with them again. They were more than happy that they didn't lose him.

The day after everything happened, John, Scott and Mellissa cleaned up Stiles' room of everything that could remind the teen of the ordeal he went through while Derek watched over him. Stiles slept for three days straight. He joked that he didn't know what was wrong with him, but everyone knew he needed rest; _real_ rest.

Derek hardly left his side.

John had to go to work and the others had school, and Derek had absolutely nothing against spending as much time with Stiles as possible. He didn't mind that Stiles would sleep though most of their time together. All he could think about was how close they were to losing him; how close _he_ was to losing him.

Derek couldn't stop wondering how it all slipped his fingers for so long. When he spoke to John about it, the older man told him that he had a lot of other things to worry about. Derek knew the man was right, but he still couldn't get over the fact that he failed to see what was right under his nose. For a few days he was beating himself over because of the fact that he failed to see that Stiles was in love with him ever since they started to spend more time together last summer. He was beating himself over for allowing Jennifer to use the feelings Derek started having for Stiles to her advantage. He was blaming himself for allowing her to cloud his mind and judgment. It stopped when John told him to stop; when he told him that everything was alright, and that there was no sense in dwelling.

Sure, Derek knew that, but he still felt guilty. Especially when Stiles would wake from a nightmare afraid to go back to sleep because he feared he would go back to that place. In those moments, the only thing that would calm him down and help him go back to sleep was Derek lying beside him and holding him.

At first Derek thought John wouldn't allow that; he thought the man would be against him and Stiles being together.

When he confronted the Sheriff about it, the man all but laughed in his face.

He said that if it weren't for Derek, they would have lost Stiles. He knew that very well. "And besides-…" he said "Stiles will be of age in just a few weeks. I don't have a right to tell him who to love. If he loves you he must have a damn good reason, and I see that you love him too."

With John's permission easing the worry Derek felt, the former Alpha allowed himself to let go of everything that was troubling him. With every day that he spent with Stiles, Derek was slowly letting go of the guilt. Every time Stiles would smile at him, the memory of Jennifer, Kate and Paige would fade into the background of his mind. Every time Stiles would weakly squeeze his hand, a piece of the guilt he felt would vanish.

With each passing day, the feelings Derek felt for Stiles grew, and he knew.

He knew he would do anything it takes for Stiles to get better.

He would do everything for the teen, just to see him smile; to see him return to his old self.

And with each passing day, they were closer to that goal.

* * *

_When the rain is blowing in your face __  
__and the whole world is on your case, __  
__I could offer you a warm embrace; __  
__to make you feel my love._

* * *

Stiles sighed and rested back against his pillow with a sated smile on his face and an empty box in his lap, and Derek chuckled.

"Had enough?" he asked and Stiles nodded.

"Thank you. You're a lifesaver." He said and Derek snorted as he took the box, crumpled it and threw it in the trashcan beside the door.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and rubbed Stiles' thigh gently with his left hand.

"Awake enough to watch that movie we tried to watch a few days back." He said and Derek chuckled.

"Do you want me to bring something before we do?" Stiles shrugged.

"No; dad already brought me tea, and you're here already." Derek rolled his eyes with a fond smile and Stiles snickered.

"Sap." The Werewolf muttered and Stiles winked at him.

"Takes one to know one." he drawled and Derek snorted. He got up to prepare the movie, before he toed off his shoes, took his jacket off and carefully laid down beside Stiles, closer to the wall. The teen settled under Derek's arm and rested his head on the Werewolf's chest with his left hand thrown over Derek's stomach. Derek wrapped his left arm around Stiles, while he entwined the fingers of his right hand with Stiles', careful of the infusion sticking out of his left hand. As the movie started Derek nuzzled his nose in Stiles hair and kissed the crown of his head, and Stiles smiled and kissed his chest, right over his strongly beating heart.

They watched the movie in silence and content, and Derek smiled when he felt Stiles relax against him as he fell asleep. He kissed the top of his head again and continued to watch the movie in silence.

Light knocking signaled John checking up on them and Derek nodded minutely when the Sheriff peeked in. John smiled at them, nodded and closed the door. Derek closed his eyes and sighed in content.

Everything was falling into place.

Finally, he knew everything would be alright.

* * *

_"You sure everything's alright?"_ Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes at the worry he could hear in Cora's voice.

"Hey; that's cheating!" he looked to the side and saw Stiles grinning at Scott, Isaac, Lydia and Allison. The teens were locked in a game of Monopoly and Stiles was obviously winning.

"Everything's alright. Stiles is getting better with each passing day. Soon enough he'll be able to walk on his own again. He managed to put some weight on already. Once he recovers completely we'll come and pay you a visit."

_"Greet them all for me, and tell Stiles to be careful. It's about time he stops getting himself into trouble."_ Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"I think that's a bit much to ask." He drawled and heard Cora snort. "Stay safe."

_"You too, Derek."_

"Derek! Get over here and tell your boyfriend to stop cheating!" Lydia ordered as Derek ended the call and he walked over to the teens and took a seat beside Stiles. He kissed the teens cheek and Stiles grinned at him, while the others rolled their eyes.

"Stop torturing them. They're not as good at this game as you are."

"It's not my fault I'm better at this than they are." Stiles pouted and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you guys play some other game then? Besides; Aiden, Ethan and Danny should be back with dinner in a few minutes." He suggested, and the others let go of relieved sighs, and Stiles rolled his eyes when they cleaned up quicker than an eye could see. He leaned against Derek and the Werewolf smiled while the others ran off to bring paper plates and glasses.

"You feeling alright?" he murmured in Stiles' ear and the teen nodded.

"Better than I've felt in weeks. At least I'm not in my room." He muttered and Derek chuckled.

Yes; Stiles was getting better by the day. His nightmares were rarer now, and he was getting stronger already. He ate more solids now, and started to gain weight again. Soon enough he would try walking on his own.

Derek smiled as the teens started joking around and he leaned back on the couch.

He was finally feeling at home. The guilt was almost completely gone.

He was happy.

He was content.

Sure, he would like if things happened differently.

He would like they didn't have to suffer to come to this point.

But since everything was falling into place, he could find nothing to complain about.

Nothing to complain about at all.

* * *

"Stiles?" Derek called out as he entered the Stilinski house. The Sheriff called him half an hour ago telling him he would have to stay at the station and if he could go back to be with Stiles. Derek immediately left everything the way it was at his loft and rushed back to Stiles. The teen was feeling slightly under the weather for the past few days. His fever broke yesterday, but that didn't mean the teen was any better.

"Stiles?" he called out again as he took off his heavy winter coat and climbed the stairs. He frowned when he heard Stiles call for him weakly and all but ran into the teen's room. "Stiles!" he rushed over to him when he found him leaning back against the bed weakly. "Stiles, what are you doing out of bed?" he picked the teen up gently and Stiles huffed.

"Had to go to the bathroom; didn't know dad called you to come back." He gasped out breathlessly and Derek sighed with a small, worried frown on his face. He made sure Stiles was firmly in his arms and carried him out of his room and into the bathroom. "Sorry for worrying you." He murmured and Derek smiled before he kissed his sweaty forehead.

"It's alright." He said, knowing there was no sense in getting angry with the teen. He held him firmly as he put Stiles on his feet, and frowned when the teen swayed. "Do you think you can do this alone or do you want me to stay?" Derek asked. They were long past feeling uncomfortable with this. The first few times, Stiles was blushing up a storm and stuttering like a broken record, but with time he got used to needing Derek for the simplest of things.

"Stay. I need to take a shower too. I stink." The teen wrinkled his nose and Derek chuckled as he kissed his forehead.

"You don't." Stiles snorted as Derek helped him relieve himself.

"Yeah right." He grumbled. "Is that why you're holding your breath?" Derek chuckled as he flushed the toilet and put the seat down. He helped Stiles take a seat before kneeled in front of him and helped him get undressed.

"Alright, you stink." Stiles chuckled and Derek shot him a small, amused glance from under his eyebrows. Once Stiles was undressed, Derek took his own clothes off. They found out it was easier that way a long time ago. He smirked when he saw Stiles watching him with a furious blush on his cheeks and Derek quickly turned on the warm water "Get over here." He murmured and got Stiles into the tub and under the warm spray of water, before he got in himself. Stiles sighed and leaned back against Derek, and the Werewolf wrapped his arms around his thin waist. He smiled when he noticed that Stiles managed to put on some more weight despite the flu, and he kissed the teen's shoulder as he hugged him close to his strong, warm body. Stiles smiled and rested his head back on Derek's shoulder.

"Thank you, Derek." He murmured and Derek frowned in confusion.

"For what?" the teen chuckled and nuzzled closer to the Werewolf.

"For everything?" he said and tilted his head to the side to look at Derek. "For coming back, for saving me, staying with me; for taking care of me." the Werewolf chuckled and kissed Stiles temple.

"You're welcome."

* * *

_When the evening shadows and the stars appear, __  
__and there's no one there to dry your tears; __  
__I could hold you for a million years __  
__to make you feel my love._

* * *

"Derek!" the Werewolf turned on his heel when Scott called out for him. He killed the Beta of the Pack that attacked them trying to take their territory with a simple snapping of his neck and ran to meet up with Scott.

"What is it?" Derek asked and Scott looked around.

"Allison and Lydia just called in. They say they lost track of the Alpha." Derek's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. "We've taken care of the Betas. I tied a few of them up in the forest, but I can't locate the Alpha."

"He must have hid his scent." Derek growled. They looked up when several howls reached them, and moments later Aiden, Ethan and Isaac ran over to them.

"We can't find the Alpha." Isaac breathed out as they tried to catch their breaths, and Scott and Derek exchanged a wide eyed worried glance.

"Where could he have-…" in that moment a threatening howl echoed through the air and the Werewolves looked up into the sky as dread passed down their backs.

"Is it just me or did that sound like it was coming from the town?" Aiden growled as his eyes turned blue, and his brother followed. Derek, Isaac and Scott exchanged a terrified glance as realization dawned on them.

"STILES!"

* * *

"Danny?!"

"I'm fine!" Stiles nodded and tried to slow his breathing down.

"The others should be here soon enough! We just have to hold on until they do!" Stiles said and John and Danny moved closer together inside of the circle of mountain ash. The Alpha and two Betas they didn't know about snickered at them as the circled them, and Stiles growled at them.

He knew that if he was back to full strength he would be able to take them on, but he wasn't. His dad couldn't aim right because one of the Betas managed to dig its claws into John's shoulder, and Danny wasn't the best shot in the world. While Stiles _did_ grow stronger in the past two months, he still tired easily, and he couldn't hold his own yet.

"When will you make peace with the fact that your friends are dead? My Betas already dealt with them. They're gone. Surrender and your deaths will be quick." The Alpha sneered at them, and Stiles snorted.

"You're a fool. If anyone's gonna end up dead it's you and your Betas." He growled and the Alpha laughed at him.

"Keep telling yourself that, darling." He pressed out through his sharp teeth. Stiles shook his head to try and shake off the dizziness. He was losing it and he knew it. The circle of mountain ash around them won't hold the Werewolves off forever. He knew that very well.

'Derek, where are you?' he thought; he could feel his control on the mountain ash wavering.

"Stiles, hold on." His dad pressed out through his teeth and Danny nodded. Stiles swallowed difficultly as he tried to calm his quickly beating heart and even out his breathing. In that moment they heard something fall and the Werewolves keeping them prisoner tensed up.

"What was that?" one of the Betas asked, and in the next moment he and the other Beta fell on the ground with arrows sticking out of their necks.

'Allison! Lydia!' Stiles let go of a relieved, breathless laugh when the Alpha looked around in shock. In the next moment the front door was torn down, and Derek and Scott rushed in, subduing and killing the Alpha within minutes.

"Derek!" not caring about the blood and gore covering Derek's body, or the fact that the Werewolf was still very much wolfed out, Stiles threw himself in his arms and buried his face in his neck. "Took you long enough, you idiots!" he murmured and leaned closer to Derek when the Werewolf hugged him tightly and buried his face in Stiles' hair.

"You did well, Stiles. You did great. It's over now. It's done."

"John, mom is on the way. We've dealt with everything." They heard Scott say as the rest of the Pack joined them in the torn down living room of the Stilinski house. Stiles took a deep breath as Derek held him.

"Everything's alright now." Derek murmured and Stiles nodded.

"Yeah; everything's alright."

* * *

Derek and John laughed at the teens playing chase in front of them, as they watched them from their seats under a willow tree. After that Pack attacked them they all sat down and decided that it was time for all of them to move in together. They knew they'd be safer that way.

A few days later they found an agency that would rebuild the old Hale house, and now, two months later, as spring finally arrived in Beacon Hills, they were finally settled in.

Stiles was completely recovered. He was sleeping normally now, and he and Derek were going strong. They were together more often than not, and they were happy; they were all happy.

Stiles signed up for the local college, and so did the others. They knew they wouldn't be able to stay apart for long. They were a Pack, and they did everything as a Pack.

Nothing could ever come between them.

And they wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"Stiles?" Derek called out when he entered their room.

"In the bathroom!" he chuckled when Stiles called out to him, and took his uniform off in stride on his way to the bathroom. He got in and smiled a fond smile when he was enveloped in a cloud of condensed water. He never understood how Stiles could shower in such scolding hot water, but he never complained. He got into the shower and wrapped his arms around Stiles waist, and the younger man chuckled.

"Hey, Mr. Deputy." He drawled and Derek snorted. "How was your day?" he asked as Derek pulled him close to his strong body and kissed his shoulder.

"Good." the Werewolf murmured and rubbed Stiles' waist with his hands. "No incidents. Your dad commented that everything's gotten quite boring since I became his Deputy." Stiles chuckled and turned around in Derek's arms.

"Of course it's gotten boring. Everyone's so afraid of the new deputy that they're doing everything to be proper, law abiding citizens. I have a feeling that once my dad retires you have a secure place as the new Sheriff." He said and Derek snorted before he bowed down and kissed him. Stiles moaned into his kiss and wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulders. Derek pulled him flush against his body, and a shiver traveled down his back when he felt the younger man's erection pressing against his own.

"How was your day?" he asked to distract himself as he kissed down Stiles' chin and neck and gently nibbled on his collar-bone.

"Good; it was good." Stiles murmured as he tilted his head back. "Professor Sawyer said that I should apply to be his assistant. That's one step closer to taking his place as the professor of Occult Science once he retires." Derek smiled and moved back to look down at Stiles.

"That's great." He said and Stiles nodded.

"Yeah; it is." He murmured as he kissed Derek's chin and dragged his hands down Derek's chest. The Werewolf growled lowly and nudged Stiles' nose with his own. He kissed the younger man deeply and dug his fingers in his hips, pulling him as close as he could get. Stiles fingers dug into his shoulders, and Derek growled lowly as passion and desire started to build up in his lower stomach.

Stiles yelped when Derek grabbed his thighs and hoisted him up before he slammed him against the cold, tilted wall of the shower. He was quickly distracted from the cold when his Werewolf started to grind against him, and he felt his fingers teasing his puckered entrance.

"Aren't we eager today?" Derek murmured against Stiles lips when he felt the already prepared entrance, and Stiles chuckled breathlessly.

"You should call when you're on your way home more often." He breathed out and Derek smirked as he pushed two fingers in and Stiles groaned and threw his head back, his eyes closing in pleasure. Derek latched onto his neck as he rocked against him, his fingers preparing Stiles for something much bigger.

"You should have waited for me. I would _love_ to have watched you." Stiles lips opened in a breathless moan when Derek's warm breath fanned over his ear.

"Derek, I need you – stop – stop teasing and just-…" Derek chuckled as he nipped on Stiles ear and the teen whined pitifully. Stiles groaned when Derek's fingers left his entrance only to yelp when the Werewolf took a better hold of him and carried him out of the bathroom. He grunted when Derek all but threw him on their bed, and Stiles moaned when he got a good look at his beautiful, strong wolf. He climbed on his knees as Derek stood in front of him in all his glory, and traced his strong chest with his fingers. He was coming short of breath, and his heart was beating loudly in his ears as he leaned forward and kissed the tip of the Werewolf's straining cock. Derek growled lowly as Stiles took him into his mouth inch by agonizing inch; but what sweet, sweet agony it was. He closed his eyes as he entangled the fingers of his right hand in Stiles' wet hair and grabbed onto Stiles' shoulder with his left.

"Damn it." He murmured as Stiles moaned around him and opened his eyes to see his small lover fingering himself as he sucked Derek off. With a low growl he pushed Stiles away, and before the younger man could protest he leaned over him and captured those amazing, warm, soft lips in a bruising kiss. Stiles entangled his fingers in Derek's hair as he pulled him closer, and Derek grabbed his thighs to hoist them on his hips. Stiles moaned into his mouth as he felt the tip of Derek's cock tease his entrance, only for his breath to hitch in his throat when Derek pushed the head in and stilled.

He moved back a little to look down in Stiles' eyes, and his heart skipped in his chest.

Those eyes; he would give everything for them. He would give everything for this man whose eyes had the color of sun breaking through red topaz. He would give everything, do anything to have those eyes gaze at him with that same love and adoration forever.

Everything.

* * *

_I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue, __  
__and go crawling down the avenue. __  
__You know there's nothing that I wouldn't do, __  
__to make you feel my love._

* * *

Stiles cupped Derek's for once shaven cheeks and pulled him into a kiss that spoke of so many nameless, beautiful things. He let go of a long, pleased moan when Derek entered him completely and brushed against that sensitive spot deep within him.

He started to move slowly, dragging out the pleasure as much as possible. Loving, tender kisses were exchanged between them and fingers danced across heated skin in gentle, butterfly caresses.

Breathless promises left their lips, as their bodies moved as one, and their hearts beat in a rhythm unique to them.

* * *

_The storms are raging on the rolling sea; __  
__and on the highway of regret the winds of change are blowing wild and free. __  
__You ain't seen nothing of me yet._

* * *

"Derek, please – please – faster-…" Stiles breathed out and Derek obeyed with a low grunt. His nails dug into the sheets on their bed and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut when Stiles hooked his legs around his waist and hugged him close to himself. His breathless gasps were like music to his ear, and Derek knew Stiles was close. He moved back and kissed him just as Stiles came and pulled him over the edge, and lights flashed behind his closed eyelids.

He rolled to the side and pulled Stiles along, and pulled the covers over the both of them. The younger man snuggled closer to him, and nuzzled his face against his chest. Derek smiled lovingly and kissed the top of his head as he hugged him closer.

"Love you, Sourwolf." Stiles murmured as he slowly fell asleep, and Derek chuckled at the old nickname.

"Love you too, Gen." He muttered and Stiles sighed in content. "Love you too."

* * *

_I could make you happy; make your dreams come true. __  
__Nothing that I wouldn't do._

* * *

And as the two lovers fell into a restful sleep, the world continued on in its normal pace.

The stars shone brightly and the Moon bathed the city of Beacon Hills in its warm light.

And as they slept, safe in each other's arms, they knew nothing would ever be able to come between them.

They let go of everything that hurt them; the guilt, the pain and the sorrow.

They had each other, and they had the Pack.

And they needed nothing else.

* * *

_Go to the ends of the Earth for you, __  
__to make you feel my love._

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**I hope you liked it! ****  
****Tell me if you did!****  
****All my love, ****  
****Ms. Yuki**


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